In 1977 Drexel Heritage was sold to investment bank Dominick International Corporation and retail sales increased drastically. In 1971 Drexel expanded its product line once again to include high-end Mediterranean style furniture and furniture for interior living space. Plywood Champion Papers purchased Drexel Enterprises, and the company became Drexel Heritage Furnishings, Inc. In 1960, Drexel Furniture became Drexel Enterprises, Inc., and in 1961, the company merged with Southern Desk Company to produce furniture and supplies for libraries, schools, and churches. Furniture design also included Italian styles in addition to carpets and accessories. By 1957, Drexel employed 2,300 workers, and its furniture was sold nationwide in approximately 2,500 stores.īy the late 1960s, the company manufactured laboratory, dormitory and hospital furniture and increased sales even more. In 1951, for instance, Drexel acquired Table Rock Furniture and Heritage Furniture Company, and in 1956, Morganton Furniture Company. In the process, the company had partnered with other manufacturers to create new product lines. By 1950, Drexel had grown from a small factory of fifty workers who made dressers and washstands to being a leading manufacturer in traditional and modern furniture. The younger Huffman made several changes in operations, including manufacturing medium-priced furniture instead of low-priced and spending more on advertising. By 1935, Sam Huffman died, and his son Robert O. Although Samuel Huffman managed the enterprise, he and five other men founded the business with an investment of $14,000.
Last few pics are from a bad copy of a catalog that was given to me. Drawers are wood with 3M Vynil Veneer…not fiberboard, MDF, etc…ĭrexel polled girls via Seventeen magazine, then took their ideas and made this line of furniture.
Notice the ‘desk stool’ in green & yellow in the catalog. The finish is a durable 3M plastic ‘coating’ of yellow. Includes: Dresser, Desk (with stool from set), End table, Mirror, Headboard.
Add a yellow flowery bedspread and it comes to life… a beanbag chair and you’re all set. It’s not the complete set from Drexel, but enough to start a bedroom in 1970’s style. Basically takes up most of a bedroom anyway. If you found this, then you might know about this vintage furniture from the blog at Retro Renovation. I put this in storage so these are the last pics of it when it was home. Thanks to reader Kevin - who has several pieces of this hard-to-find vintage bedroom furniture for sale on craigslist in Long Island, New York: He also scanned the catalog, which is eye-popping dreamy.ĭoing research to sell the pieces, Kevin found our several stories on Drexel Plus One furniture here. I already had an Early American bedroom set That Never Wore Out, but if I hadn’t… well, 40 years later a once-teenage girl can dream. No question, Drexel Plus One would have been my teenage girl dream furniture in 1970, when my mom let me choose my paint colors and carpet for our groovy new split level house in Vista, California. Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021 these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.